Drawer assembly with roller bearings

ABSTRACT

A drawer assembly having a drawer frame, a drawer having at least one side wall and a drawer roller mounted on the drawer is provided. A drawer frame track is located on the drawer frame for slideably receiving the drawer roller. A drawer track, located on the drawer side wall, includes an upper track having a downwardly depending member. A drawer frame roller, mounted on the drawer frame, is slideably movable with respect to the drawer track. The drawer frame roller includes a channel which receives the downwardly depending drawer track member for lessening lateral (e.g., substantially horizontal) play of the drawer relative to said drawer frame. Similarly, the drawer frame track includes an upper track member and a lower track member, with the lower track member having an upwardly depending wall. A channel located in the drawer roller receives the upwardly depending wall of the drawer frame track also for lessening the lateral or horizontal play of the drawer relative to the drawer frame.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/718782, filed Sep. 20, 2005, which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to drawer hardware and, more particularly, to a drawer assembly with roller bearings which provides drawer operation that is smooth and quiet in operation and which provides limited lateral play between the drawer and the drawer frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Drawers are well known for providing a removable, recloseable storage means. Drawers are typically incorporated into various furniture pieces, including desks, kitchen cabinets, and the like. Ideally, a drawer should operate smoothly and quietly, whether it is empty or full. Originally, drawer assemblies included drawers that were merely open boxes that slid in and out of frames. Over time, drawer assemblies have been improved by providing a drawer interface between the drawer and its frame that included side rails mounted on the drawer that slid in stationary tracks mounted on the frame, or vice versa.

A common drawer interface presently in use, especially for stainless steel kitchen cabinets, consists of a guide track bolted to the drawer (or chassis) and a standard steel roller bearing bolted to the frame. Another known design consists of preshaped tracks secured to the frame and standard ball bearings mounted on the drawer and engaging the tracks. Other drawer assemblies have both stationary and moving bearings and corresponding moving and stationary tracks.

A problem with all of these designs has been that they are very noisy. Moreover, because it is difficult or expensive to make drawers and drawer interfaces with very precise tolerances, drawers have excessive lateral play as they are opened and closed, giving users the impression that they are not solid enough, or that they may fail. To many uneducated users, the sign of high quality furniture is one with smooth-operating, quiet drawers with little lateral play.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved drawer assembly which overcomes the problems of the prior art.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved drawer assembly which reduces noise as the drawer is opened and/or closed.

A still further aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved drawer assembly which is smooth in operation.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved drawer assembly in which there is reduced lateral play between the drawer and the drawer frame.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a drawer assembly having a drawer frame, a drawer having at least one side wall and a drawer roller mounted on the drawer. A drawer frame track is located on the drawer frame for slideably receiving the drawer roller. A drawer track, located on the drawer side wall, includes an upper track having a downwardly depending member. A drawer frame roller, mounted on the drawer frame, is slideably movable with respect to the drawer track. The drawer frame roller includes a channel which receives the downwardly depending drawer track member for lessening lateral (e.g., substantially horizontal) play of the drawer relative to said drawer frame. Similarly, the drawer frame track includes an upper track member and a lower track member, with the lower track member having an upwardly depending wall. A channel located in the drawer roller receives the upwardly depending wall of the drawer frame track also for lessening the lateral or horizontal play of the drawer relative to the drawer frame.

These and other aspects of the invention, together with features and advantages thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, when taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a drawer frame of the present invention;

FIG. 1A is a side perspective view of the drawer assembly of the present invention, showing the drawer frame and also showing a drawer in an open position extending from the frame;

FIG. 1AA is a front sectional view of a rail formed as part of the track assembly used with the drawer of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a side perspective view of the drawer assembly of the present invention, similar to that of FIG. 1A, but showing the drawer in a closed position;

FIG. 1C is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 1A, showing further details of the drawer assembly;

FIG. 1D is a front perspective view of the frame of the present invention, similar to that of FIG. 1, and showing a roller bearing from the drawer within a guide track on the drawer frame;

FIG. 1E is a perspective view of a roller bearing used with the present invention, including a retaining ring used to keep the roller bearing in place;

FIG. 1F is a side view of the roller bearing, but showing the retaining ring removed from the roller bearing; and

FIG. 1G is a cross-sectional view of the roller bearing shown in FIG. 1F.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a side wall 10 of a drawer frame F (see FIG. 1A) is shown. Side wall 10 is provided with a stationary rail or track assembly 12 having a top portion 12A that is substantially horizontal and a bottom portion that is substantially T- or L-shaped, having a horizontal member 12B and a vertical wall 12C. As will be explained, vertical wall 12C extends longitudinally along the path of movement of a drawer D (see FIG. 1A) which is inserted into frame F. The drawer frame track 12 can be formed separately and then bolted or otherwise affixed to wall 10, or the track 12 can be made from a cutout 14 that is shaped and bent to form the track elements 12A, 12B and 12C.

A drawer frame roller bearing 16 is also attached to wall 10 as shown. The structure of the roller bearing 16 is described below.

FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of a drawer assembly DA with drawer D and frame F that includes wall 10 structured as described above. Drawer D is formed with a front wall 20, two side walls 22, 24, a back wall 26 and a bottom 28. Side wall 22 is formed with a drawer rail or track 30. As shown in FIG. 1AA, drawer track or rail 30 is T- or L-shaped, having a horizontal member 30A and a vertical member 30B extending downwardly from the horizontal member which extends longitudinally along the path of movement of drawer D.

In the back, the drawer D also has a drawer roller bearing 32. As will be explained, roller bearing 32 is slideably movable on stationary track 12, with bearing 32 resting on horizontal member 12B of the track.

FIG. 1B shows the drawer assembly in the closed configuration. In this configuration, bearing 32 is near the rear portion of stationary track 12.

FIG. 1C shows an external close-up view of the drawer assembly DA with the bearing 32 riding in track 12 and bearing 16 being inserted in a hole 16A in side wall 10 and rail 30 riding on top of bearing 16.

FIG. 1D shows an inside view of the drawer frame indicating how the bearing 32 rides on the track assembly 12. In this view the drawer D itself has been omitted for the sake of clarity.

FIGS. 1E, 1F and 1G show details of the bearings. The bearings 16, 32 are identical and are formed of a solid boss 34, a ring or cylindrical outer wall 36, a ball spacer 38 and a plurality of stainless steel balls 40. Except for the balls 40, the other bearing elements can be made of a high impact plastic material or a polymer, for example by molding. Ring or cylindrical outer wall 36 rotably engages respective track member 12B of stationery track 12, or horizontal member 30A of track 30, as drawer D is moved in and out of frame F.

The boss 34 has an outer surface 42 with an annular arcuate channel 44, an inner surface 46 with an annular groove 48, and a shoulder 50. The ring 36 has an inner arcuate channel 52. The channels 44 and 52 define a torroidal raceway for balls 40. The spacer 38 includes holes (not shown) that hold the balls in the raceway and maintain them at a nominal angular spacing.

Importantly, boss 34 and ring 36 are constructed and arranged to define an annular channel or guide slot 54 as shown. The ring 36 is formed with a chamfer 56 adjacent to the guide slot 54.

The bearing 16, 32 can be mounted on the respective drawer or frame element or member in any desirable way. One way is to make a hole in the member having approximately the same diameter as surface 46 (such as 16A in FIG. 1C). The bearing 16, 32 is then inserted through this hole until shoulder 50 abuts the member. A snap ring 60 is then seated into groove 48 thereby trapping and mounting the bearing to the drawer or frame member or element.

The bearing 16 and rail 30 are sized and shaped so that when the drawer D is inserted into the frame F, the rail 30 is supported by the bearing 16 with the vertical rail member 30B extending into the slot 54. Therefore as the drawer D is opened and closed, its lateral play is limited by the clearance between the rail member 30B and the sidewalls of slot 54. This clearance is much smaller than the lateral play of standard drawers.

Similarly, the bearing 32 and track 12 are sized and shaped so that as the drawer is positioned into the frame F, the bearing 32 is riding on track element 12B with the vertical wall 12C being disposed in the slot 54 thereby also limiting the lateral or horizontal play of the drawer D.

Preferably, the tracks 12 and rails 30 are angled downwardly toward the back as shown to make the drawer D self-closing.

Because lateral or horizontal play of the drawer is limited, the drawer may be pulled out from the frame and/or pushed into the frame in a smooth fashion and with reduced noise as compared to prior art drawer assemblies. Moreover, the roller bearings can be easily snap-fit mounted on the respective drawer or drawer frame thereby reducing assembly costs. Thus, the present invention provides a drawer assembly which operates easily and efficiently.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, the invention should not be so limited. For example, while the present invention has been described with reference to a kitchen drawer assembly, the invention has application to drawer assemblies used in desks, file cabinets, furniture and the like.

The scope of the invention will now be set forth in the following claims: 

1. A drawer assembly comprising: a drawer frame; a drawer having at least one side wall; a drawer roller mounted on said drawer; a drawer frame track located on said drawer frame for slideably receiving said drawer roller; a drawer track located on said drawer side wall, said drawer track including an upper track having a downwardly depending member; and a drawer frame roller mounted on said drawer frame, said drawer track slideably movable with respect to said drawer frame roller, said drawer frame roller including a guide which receives said downwardly depending drawer track member for lessening play of said drawer relative to said drawer frame.
 2. A drawer assembly according to claim 1 wherein: said drawer frame roller guide and said depending drawer track member lessens lateral play of said drawer relative to said drawer frame.
 3. A drawer assembly according to claim 1 wherein: said drawer frame track includes an upper track member and a lower track member, said lower track member having an upwardly depending wall; and said drawer roller includes a guide which receives said upwardly depending wall of said drawer frame track for lessening the play of said drawer relative to said drawer frame.
 4. A drawer assembly according to claim 3 wherein: said drawer roller guide and said upwardly depending wall of said drawer frame track member lessens lateral play of said drawer relative to said drawer frame.
 5. A drawer assembly according to claim 1 wherein: said drawer frame roller includes a retaining ring for mounting said drawer frame roller on said drawer frame.
 6. A drawer assembly according to claim 5 wherein: said drawer frame includes an aperture for receiving said drawer frame roller, said retaining ring maintaining said drawer frame roller within said drawer frame aperture.
 7. A drawer frame assembly according to claim 3 wherein: said drawer roller includes a retaining ring for mounting said drawer roller on said drawer.
 8. A drawer assembly according to claim 6 wherein: said drawer includes an aperture for receiving said drawer roller, said retaining ring maintaining said drawer roller within said drawer aperture.
 9. A drawer assembly according to claim 1 wherein: said drawer has a back wall; and said drawer frame track and said drawer track are angled downwardly toward said drawer back wall to facilitate self-closing of said drawer.
 10. A drawer assembly comprising: a drawer frame; a drawer slidably placed within said frame; a track located on one of said drawer frame or said drawer; and a roller having a groove, said roller mounted on the other of said drawer frame or said drawer; wherein said roller has a cylindrical outer wall rotatably engaging said track as said drawer is moved in and out of said frame, said track including a longitudinal wall extending along the path of movement of said drawer and extending into said groove for lessening the lateral play of said drawer relative to said frame.
 11. A drawer assembly according to claim 10 wherein: said track is located on said drawer frame; said roller is mounted on said drawer; and said longitudinal wall of said track extends downwardly into said groove.
 12. A drawer assembly according to claim 11 wherein: said roller includes a retaining ring for mounting said roller on said drawer.
 13. A drawer assembly according to claim 12 wherein: said drawer includes an aperture for receiving said roller, said retaining ring maintaining said roller within said aperture.
 14. A drawer assembly according to claim 13 wherein: said retaining ring is a snap ring and said roller includes a shoulder for abutting said drawer and a channel for receiving said snap ring, said snap ring maintaining said shoulder against said drawer.
 15. A drawer assembly according to claim 10 wherein: said track is located on said drawer; said roller is mounted on said drawer frame; and said longitudinal wall of said track extends upwardly into said groove.
 16. A drawer assembly according to claim 15 wherein: said roller includes a retaining ring for mounting said roller on said drawer frame.
 17. A drawer assembly according to claim 16 wherein: said drawer frame includes an aperture for receiving said roller, said retaining ring maintaining said roller within said aperture.
 18. A drawer assembly according to claim 17 wherein: said retaining ring is a snap ring and said roller includes a shoulder for abutting said drawer frame and a channel for receiving said snap ring, said snap ring maintaining said shoulder against said drawer frame.
 19. A drawer assembly comprising: a drawer frame; a drawer slideably placed within said frame, said drawer having a side wall; a track mounted on said drawer frame; a track mounted on said drawer side wall; a first roller having a groove, said first roller mounted on said drawer; a second roller having a groove, said second roller mounted on said frame; wherein said first roller has a cylindrical outer wall rotatably engaging said drawer frame mounted track, said drawer frame mounted track including a longitudinal wall extending along the path of movement of said drawer and extending into said groove of said first roller for lessening the lateral play of said drawer relative to said frame; and wherein said second roller has a cylindrical outer wall rotatably engaging said drawer mounted track, said drawer mounted track including a longitudinal wall extending along the path of movement of said drawer and extending into said groove of said second roller for lessening the lateral play of said drawer relative to said frame.
 20. A drawer assembly according to claim 19 wherein: said longitudinal wall of said drawer frame mounted track extends upwardly into said groove of said first roller; and said longitudinal wall of said drawer mounted track extends downwardly into said groove of said second roller.
 21. A drawer assembly according to claim 19 wherein: said first roller and said second roller each includes a retaining ring for mounting said first roller to said drawer and for mounting said second roller to said drawer frame.
 22. A drawer assembly according to claim 21 wherein: said drawer includes an aperture on said drawer side wall for receiving said first roller and said frame includes an aperture for receiving said second roller, said retaining ring of said first roller maintaining said first roller within said drawer aperture and said retaining ring of said second roller maintaining said second roller within said drawer frame aperture.
 23. A drawer assembly according to claim 22 wherein: said retaining rings are snap rings; said first roller includes a shoulder for abutting said drawer side wall and includes a channel for receiving said snap ring, said snap ring maintaining said shoulder against said drawer side wall; and said second roller includes a shoulder for abutting said drawer frame and includes a channel for receiving said snap ring, said snap ring maintaining said shoulder against said drawer frame. 